


Soft Man

by Ninah



Category: BTOB
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-03-27 09:17:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13877835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninah/pseuds/Ninah
Summary: (Highschool AU)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rated as 'explicit' since there will be some smut in the future chapters.
> 
> First fiction that I write directly in English (except for _Autumn Rain_ , but this one was more a draft than a fiction…) and it's harder than I thought, I couldn't express well what I wanted to and the fact that this first chapter is mostly a flashback doesn't help…
> 
>  

     November. At school after the end of classes.

     Waiting in the corridors with his friends, Ilhoon glanced at the boss of the school and his group who were going down the stairs before his eyes. He founded it annoying that they always go before the other students who were standing, head down, waiting for the group to walk pass them. They weren't usually coming after the students except for the fools who had enough of feeling inferior and started to openly insult them, and the courageous ones who wanted to challenge the boss to take over, in vail ; but everyone was scared of them.

     Im Hyunsik, the man absorbed in his smartphone at the leader of the little group, was a senior and the strongest person in the school. His strength was known by everyone and that was generally enough to make anyone feeling intimidated even though his face wasn't harsh. He actually never really looked angry. But he wasn't the smiley type either and he didn't seem to talk much. The other students often described him as taciturn.

_Vrrr_

     The vibrate mode of his phone made Ilhoon take his eyes off them to read discreetly the message he just received. “See u later. I love you ♥”. He looked up to meet the eyes of Hyunsik who was looking at him furtively from the side and gave him the hint of a smile. Without worrying about the other students who might see him, a happy smile appeared on Ilhoon's face as well.

     That's right, Im Hyunsik was his lover.

 

     Everything started about three months ago when they met for the first time outside of school. That night, Ilhoon ran out of home and hung out with friends. It was actually not _that night_ , it happened pretty often. The situation in his family was chaotic since his father left for another woman. Out of despair, his mother immerged herself into work until late at night and was always drinking when she was home. Even if he hated it, Ilhoon got accustomed to live alone with a ghost member of his family.

     Then, his mom met her current boyfriend and everything worsened, especially when he started to come almost every night and stayed the weekend. That man was pretty harsh and violent and treated Ilhoon like shit. With his cadaverous appearance, it was pretty obvious to Ilhoon that he was on drugs as well, and he sadly thought his mom couldn't get any lower. That's when he started to avoid home when they were there. The days when he wasn't going to have a sleepover at a friend's place, he'd go home late at night when he was sure they were sleeping.

     As an underrage highschool boy, the places he could go to were limited. So he would spend these evenings at his friends' place, on parks or at a karaoke. And the latter was where his friends and him went that night. It was chilly Friday night and there was no school the day after so they decided to enjoy the night.

     Friends came with their friends who came with their friends. At the end of the day, they were about fifteen persons. Ilhoon knew only one-third of them. Some were a bit older and managed to bring beer cans in secret, enough for everyone to have one or two.

    Feeling feverish by the heat emanating from the number of persons in the little karaoke room and the alcohol he has been forced to swallow, he decided to go to the restroom to refresh himself a bit. No one even wondered where he was going, they probably weren't paying attention to him, too busy to sing, talk, drink, playing. It was like if a party was held.

     Due to his low alcohol tolerance, he was staggering, he couldn't see properly and his mind was confused. On his way back, he mistakenly opened the wrong room and saw before him a single man singing with a skillful deep voice. Then, without knowing why exactly, he could only think of one person by seeing this man through his narrowed blurred eyes.

     “Im… Hyunsik…?” Ilhoon said out loud without realizing, then shook his head, making him even more dizzy, thinking it was impossible.

     He apologized for disturbing him then turned to come out, narrowly missing from slamming himself against the door frame. Then, a hand grabbing strongly his arm pulled him inside again and the the door closed. In a flash, he was pushed against the wall, a strong forearm against his neck to keep him from moving.

     “Who are you!?” The man said with a voice full of animosity.

     After regaining his senses from the bump and calming his nausea from the sudden movement, Ilhoon opened his eyes as much as he could and saw in front of him the face of the man he took for Im Hyunsik. Except that he really was Im Hyunsik, looking at him with cold black eyes, like if he was ready to kill him. Ilhoon suddenly felt scared, a shiver ran down his spine. He stuttered while trying to give an answer.

     “Su… Sunbae! I… I'm… freshman at… school…”

     Frowning his nose at the strong odor of the beer coming from Ilhoon's mouth, Hyunsik lowered his arm, stepped back, and asked him why a highschooler was drinking openly at his age. Ilhoon, who didn't feel able to think and explain clearly, only shrugged his shoulders. Still held on the wall by the hand on his arm, he felt tired of standing, not being able to move, and his head wobbled. Seeing his current state, Hyunsik loosened his grip, knowing he wouldn't get anything from a drunk teenager. He sighed and took him to the couch.

     “Sleep, you'll tell me your address and I'll take you home when you'll sober up.”

     That was what Hyunsik said but Ilhoon, who were finally on a comfortable position, could barely hear him as his eyes started to feel heavy. And he fell asleep while listening to the beautiful voice of the most feared person in the school singing an emotional ballad.

 

     The next time they encountered was on the Sunday from the same week.

     Ilhoon was at his part-time job on the convenience store of his neighborhood. He started working for over a year, to avoid home once again, and to earn enough to cover his daily expenses. Since he was only working on weekends, and sometimes on week days as a replacement, he wasn't earning a lot, but it was enough for him to not ask for allowance to his mother. He liked to feel independent.

     On that day, when the sun started to go down, Hyunsik entered the convenience store to buy instant noodles, snacks, and a soft drink as usual. It seemed to be his habit as Ilhoon always saw him on Sundays, and sometimes on Saturdays, on his working hours. He already concluded they were living in the same area, even though they never came across each other outside of the convenience store and school yet. The neighborhood was big.

     Hyunsik, however, and Ilhoon was glad of that as he wanted to be discreet at school, never paid attention to the cashier before. He jumped with surprise when he saw the boy he accompanied back home on the night of Friday to Saturday when he approached the cash-desk. Having a lot of enemies, for a short moment, he had the thought he might be following and spying on him but he refuted the idea: he wouldn't gain anything by following him drunk.

     He kept staring at the cashier who was waiting, a bit annoyed, for him to give him his articles quickly. Hoping that he would understand, Ilhoon looked at Hyunsik, at the items on his hands then at face again. “Ah!” He finally reacted and gave him to scan what will be his dinner.

     “Jung Ilhoon…” He said, reading his nameplate.

     “Hmm?”

     “Can you keep it for yourself what you saw Friday? I mean… Me… singing at the karaoke room…”

     Upon hearing this request, Ilhoon looked up at him, who had the lips pursed, opened the eyes wide and blinked. Little did he thought the reason he was angry that night was because he discovered his secret. For him, he was just the bossy type, he didn't like when something was not going how he wanted to, he liked when people obeyed him, and he couldn't stand being disturbed. He couldn't help but burst out laughing.

     His laugh has always been outstanding and loud. Seeing Im Hyunsik taken aback, and his coworker between the shelves, as well as the other customers, looking at him like if he was weird, he regained composure and cleared his throat.

     “I promise, Sunbae, I won't talk about it.” He said with a professionnal smile.

     He wasn't gonna talk about it anyway. Even when his friends at school asked him by messages where he disappeared that night, he lied, saying that he wasn't feeling good and decided to go home earlier than expected. Solely because he was scared of him.

     Hyunsik thanked him while paying for his things. Ilhoon looked at his back as he was leaving the store and chuckled once again. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he seemed to be.

 

     The following days at school were relatively normal. Going there early to avoid his mother's waking hour, following the classes – when he wasn't daydreaming in the ones he didn't like –, spending the breaks with Sungjae and Donggeun, doing his homeworks after the last period at the school's library, going back home to change and eat, going out on the evening.

     Each time Ilhoon and Hyunsik's paths crossed, they would ignore each other. Firstly, because Ilhoon was with his friends and Hyunsik with his. They would question how they know each other, which they couldn't tell. Lastly, because they only talked a bit two times, they weren't friends. Acquaintances would be the closer word to describe them but even this word looked fancy. They were strangers.

     One of these days where the sky started to be low and dull because of the season, Ilhoon's motivation reached down the bottom. Like a sunflower, he liked the sun and the nice weather. The rain and the cold made him feel down. Making him look sick when he wasn't. Out of consideration for his student, the history teacher made him go to the school infirmary. He founded there a chance to avoid a class he didn't like. He went to the infirmary without saying a word.

     “The teacher said I looked sick.” Ilhoon explained to the nurse who made him sit next to her desk and pushed the thermometer in his right ear. It hurted a bit at the moment but he didn't complain.

     “You don't have a fever.” The nurse said while looking at the results. “It may be the beginning since it's starting to get cold, you should sleep in case it's getting worse.”

     The nurse told him to settle down on one of the beds next to the desk. He took his shoes off and lied down. Sleeping on a gloomy day was the best. It didn't take him long before he fall asleep.

_“She isn't here? Shit…”_

     What woke Ilhoon up was a deep voice. A voice that sounded familiar already. He sat up and opened the curtain to find Im Hyunsik on a tracksuit, the rolled up sleeves giving it an even more manly look. At the sudden movement, he looked at him.

     “You again!?”

     This should be his line. Why was he always meeting that one person he should be avoiding the most if he wanted a peaceful school life? Being with him meant trouble. Like a wild animal, he never knew how he would react. His constant poker face was scary, he couldn't read what he was thinking.

     “You know where she is? The nurse?”

     “How would I know? I just woke up!” Ilhoon answered, irritated because he woke up from his deep sleep because of him.

     “Yeah, I can see that.”

     This was said with a sneer. Ilhoon guessed from the direction of his gaze he was talking about the messy hair he must have had at that moment and, flustered because he hated being a mess in front of someone, flattened his hair. Then he remembered something he should have done already, out of politeness.

     “Sunbae…” Hyunsik looked at him again. “Thanks for taking me home the other day.”

     “Can I ask you something?”

     “Uh? Yeah?”

     “Why were you scared to enter?”

     Taken aback, he saw the serious black eyes of Hyunsik staring at him like if he could read everything about him from his expressions, and he lowered his eyes to avoid them. He answered he was only afraid of being scolded for drinking underage. A big lie. He felt Hyunsik wasn't fooled by it but he was grateful he wasn't pointing it out.

     “You've been working part-time for a long time?” Hyunsik asked to keep the conversation.

     “Yeah, a bit.”

     “I see…”

     “By the way, I love your singing voice.” Ilhoon said to break the awkward silence that was rapidly settling. “It's really calming and beautiful.”

     Hyunsik's eyes sparkled while saying a joyful “Thanks!” then disappeared completely when a big smile appeared, splitting his face from ear to ear, showing two rows of big white teeth. Ilhoon never saw a smile that dazzling before and a pang assaulted his chest.

     He internally thanked the nurse who entered the room at that time when he was at loss of words. The timing was perfect. When she saw he was now awake, she told him he could go if he was feeling better, especially since it was lunch time already. He didn't think twice. He put his shoes on and left the infirmary without looking back. On his way to eat, he kept thinking about this bright big smile. Even though it didn't change, the weather didn't look as bad as before. Maybe the sun hid for him to find another one.

 

     Since then, their paths crossed regularly alone. At the library. On street. At the convenience store. Whether it was predestined or they just simply started to acknowledge each other's existence had no importance. They would talk a bit here and there. Ilhoon learned that Hyunsik was protecting the students by being the boss at school. In this low-quality district, it wasn't rare that fights between students of different school occured. And this only made his opinion about him better. He wasn't as scared as he was before. He even founded himself peeking at him at the canteen. Sometimes their eyes met, or it was the impression he had. He felt like he started to enjoy his company and had a feeling it might have been reciprocal.

 

     About one month after the first meeting. As usual, Ilhoon did his homeworks at the school library. Working on problems he barely understood, he took longer to finish them and ended with a headache. He wanted to go at Donggeun's place directly but he needed to take his things at home first.

     When he reached it, all the lights were off, there wasn't a soul in sight. There was about one hour left before his mom and that man will be here. He had enough time to do what he had to. He put changes and washbag into a small backpack and lay down a bit on his bed, checking his phone, replying to messages and checking the news.

     A fire devasting the half of a village in the country-side. Fortunately, there was no death. A political debate. A scoop about some actors caught dating. It seemed like one of the two was really popular but Ilhoon who barely watch the TV never heard of them. Results of a sport game. Nothing really interested him and with the tiredness striking him since the end of school and the headache, he fell asleep.

     The sun was down when he woke up. Still half-asleep he searched gropingly his phone to read the hour. He frowned at the light attacking his eyes then, horrified, stood up quickly. 20:23. It was certain his mom was at home now. He strained his ears and perceived a male voice. Of course, her boyfriend was here as well… He'd have to face them.

     He took his school bag and backpack, breathed in deeply to give him some courage, and opened the door. The short corridor leading to the entrance seemed long and endless. When he reached its end, he was there, at the kitchen's door frame, waiting for him. He probably heard the door of his room when he opened and closed it. Or he might just have been waiting for him the whole time.

     “What are you doing here?”

 _It's my home, not yours._ Ilhoon wanted to retort, but he just shut up and continued his way. This man didn't deserve an answer. Neither a look. And it pissed him off to be ignored. He streightened his arm to the side to take something. A broom. Inside Ilhoon's body, the cold felt like ice, the fear appeared in his eyes. He couldn't think of anything as a violent blow in the stomach made him fell on his knees.

     “You really annoy me!”

     The man screamed as he was hitting Ilhoon on his back with the broomstick. The boy fell completely on the floor, huddled up to protect himself from the blows he was receiving incessantly. He prayed for it to stop fast. _It hurts_. His mental was falling apart, he didn't want to think anymore. _It hurts_. He never received such a physical pain before. _It hurts_. But not as much as what would come.

     “Stop! You're gonna kill him!” His mother stepped in.

     Worried? She was. About the problems it'd cause, not about him. Ilhoon had a bitter taste in his mouth that didn't come from his blood. He knew all along she looked at him with disgust ever since his father left. He, the son they had together, reminded her of him. Nothing hurted more than the indifference from his own mother.

     Ilhoon stood up. He was able to go out this time. He picked up his bags, as well as his coat at the entrance. A few feathers fell. Ripped. To annoy him, of course. But Ilhoon made no comments and went out under the insults of that man.

     The wind was chilly and was biting his opened wouds. He couldn't go to his friend's place in this state ; him and his parents would worry too much. He took off his phone and sent him an excuse for not coming.

     Walking without a destination, he found himself in front of the nearby park. The park usually lively during the day was deserted and calm at night. The wind made the swings creak. It was rather gloomy but he walked in and went to lie down on a bench. It was really freezing.

     Ilhoon looked at the sky. In the city, the stars weren't really visible, but he knew that outside, they were beautiful, like shining jewels on black velvet, and he wondered if one day, he'll be able to shine as well, when he'll be out of the situation he was living in. Ilhoon tried to laugh at his stupid thought but his body was too painful to do so, he just stayed still, closed his eyes and tried to sleep despite the cold.

     “Jung Ilhoon! What happened!?”

     lhoon opened his eyes to see before him Hyunsik. They met at an awkward moment again, but he was sort of happy to see him, he wanted to see his warm smile again. He needed it.

     “What are you doing here, Sunbae?”

     “I saw these feathers while jogging and wondered what it was.” Hyunsik showed a trail of feathers. The coat really needed to be sewn up. “So? What happened?” He insisted with a worried look on his face. Ilhoon hated this look, he didn't want anyone to pity him.

     “I fell.” Ilhoon lied.

     “I see…”

     There was no way he'd believe it. Ilhoon was grateful he wasn't insisting more, but he probably guessed the truth already. He probably guessed what was happening from the day he saw him scared of entering his own house. He was pretty observant.

     Hyunsik took his wrists and pull for making him sit up. The pain made Ilhoon grimace. He complained, asking what he was forcing him to get up for. Hyunsik wanted to take him to his place, he couldn't leave him like that, wounded and by himself in the cold. No matter how much Ilhoon refused, Hyunsik was a lot stronger than he was, he couldn't even get rid of the grip on his wrists, and finally gave up. He followed obediently dawdling behind Hyunsik who turned his head to him from time to time. Maybe to check on him. Or just to verify he was still following.

     They entered the street of the youngest's home. He was scared someone would go out at that time, even though there was no reasons for them to do so. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until they walked in another street.

     They were living way nearer than he thought, Hyunsik's house was only four streets away. Their different conditions of life was evident. While Ilhoon was living in the poorer part of the neighborhood in an old traditionnal apartment building, Hyunsik's family was living in a cute little house with a little garden. Hyunsik opened the door and seeing Ilhoon was hesitating to walk in, he took his wrist and give him a small smile to reassure him it was okay.

     “I'm home.”

     “Welcome back! Did you eat?” His mother asked from another room.

     “Yeah. I have a friend with me, I'll take him to my room.”

     His mother appeared with wet rubber gloves on her hands. Embarrassed, Ilhoon bowed his head while excusing himself for the inconvenience and she bowed her head back without a word.

     While Hyunsik was guiding him, he couldn't stop thinking about what he said. He called him his friend and this little thing made him happy.

     Hyunsik's room, on the second floor, was about two times bigger than Ilhoon's. He made him sit on his bed and asked to wait while he goes to look for something to dress his wounds. Ilhoon wondered what kind of explanation he'd give to his parents, seeing their son coming back with a bleeding boy, they must have had questions.

     In the room, there was a bookcase full of CDs. There were also a synthetizer and an acoustic guitar. Hyunsik did mentioned before he liked music, but it was a crazy collection. He must have been really passionate about it. Other than that, the room was pretty ordinary. No posters on the white wall. There were a few clothes lying around here and there but no real mess we could expect from a boy's room.

     Hyunsik came back with a hand towel and a basin full of cold water to clean the blood ; and a first-aid kit. He sat next to Ilhoon and made him turned a bit toward him for more ease. The first thing he took care of was his waist, surprising Ilhoon when he lifted up his shirt without saying anything to put a cold bandage to appease the pain.

     After that, he took care of the cuts on his face. His head, his forehead, his cheeks, his lips, his neck. Ilhoon suddenly felt counscious of his own body when Hyunsik's hot fingers kept touching him to treat him and a pretty pink-red colored his face. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. When Hyunsik, after lifting up his bangs to clean more effectively the dry blood, gave him a light kiss on his forehead, his heart started to race.

     Realizing what he had just done, Hyunsik backed away from him and turned his head, embarrassed.

     “I'm sorry, I don't know why I did this…”

    This sudden shyness was cute. A slight hope crept into Ilhoon's heart. Maybe… He was perhaps feeling the same thing and didn't know how to face it. Clinging to that thought, he leaned forward and put a kiss on Hyunsik's cheek. The latter's eyes widened and looked at him.

     “I think I like you, Sunbae.” Ilhoon said with a little smile.

     Hyunsik's eyes brightened and disappeared behind his big smile, giggling. Ilhoon's heart was beating more than ever. Then they locked eyes, in a way to confirm the thruthfulness of the moment, like if everything would appeared to be a misunderstanding if they didn't. In a clumsy manner, not knowing how to reply positively what seemed obvious to him, Hyunsik put his hand on Ilhoon's.

     “Then start calling me "hyung" from now on, Ilhoon.”


	2. Chapter 2

     Ever since they started dating, Hyunsik and Ilhoon would do their homeworks together at one's place when they didn't have other engagement. It was actually a big help since Hyunsik was a top student, always ranking among the ten best results of his year. Ilhoon thought that life was unfair. Hyunsik was smart, strong, talented and handsome. But he wasn't really envious. His grades may not be as good but he was not lacking, and he wouldn't put himself on the ugly side. He liked himself as he was.

     However, the comfortable and warm atmosphere of the home and the presence of his boyfriend wasn't motivating Ilhoon to study at times. Sitting on the floor in front of Hyunsik's bed at the low table trying to memorize multiple formulas that didn't want to enter into his head, he leaned back against the bed and sighed. Hyunsik who had finished his homeworks already, was sitting on his bed. He looked up from the book he was reading and asked him if he had a problem.

     "I really can't concentrate here, I'm spacing out." Ilhoon explained.

     "You want to say we're together so that we can study in the library?" Further to Ilhoon's categorical refusal, Hyunsik lay on his stomach resting on his forearms to look at his boyfriend's expression and chuckled. "What? Are you ashamed of me?"

     Ilhoon turned his head to the right to see an amused expression on his face. "Idiot" he said lightly while putting his hand on his jaw and pushed lightly to make him turn away. There was no seriousness at all. The two of them knew it'd be a bad idea to reveal it. The society wasn't open-minded enough to accept a gay couple, especially teenagers who judge and hurt more easily, but in addition to that, they both had personal reasons to keep it a secret.

     The two of them wanted to protect each other. For Ilhoon, the feared but respected Hyunsik must always stay respected. He didn't want the things he built in three years to change because of him.

     As for Hyunsik, just the fact that they're close without knowing their exact relationship could put Ilhoon in danger. He was his weak point. Anyone, especially his ennemies, would be able to reach him easily by targeting him who was defenseless. Ever since the moment he saw him wounded on that cold night, he became the one he wanted to protect the most at all cost.

     Lost into his thoughts, Ilhoon only realized Hyunsik sat up in the bed, his legs on each side of him, when his cheek was comfortably resting on the top of his head. He put an arm around his shoulders while his other hand was holding the notebook Ilhoon dropped earlier. By locking him, he made sure he wouldn't run away from doing his homework assiduously. And while Hyunsik was enjoying it, he thought that combining the useful and the pleasant might give him some courage as well.

 

 

     Even before the start of the classes, a rumor put all the highschool boys in a restless mood, which made the girls be exasperated. A new girl transfered late into the year in school. No one knew in which classes she'll be put in, not even the grade. some were saying she was a freshman, other said she was a sophomore, but all of them were only their expectations.

     But what made the boys excited was that she was rumored to be really beautiful like a pearl: refined and perfect satin fair complexion ; and boys started to fantasize on her.

     "I'm sure she has a tall slender figure with long thin legs!” A boy in Ilhoon's classroom said.

     "Not too thin, thick muscled thighs are sexy too."

     "And big boobies!"

     "You boys are disgusting!"

     Girls eventually started to exclaim after feeling disgusted by their comments. They complained they were only looking at their looks and they shouldn't judge people from their beauty, which was counter by saying they were doing the same when it was about a handsome man.

     Ilhoon was only listening without saying anything. He didn't care at all about their quarrel nor about the new girl. He just hoped the class would start and end quickly.

     At the first break, the agitation about the transfer student didn't cool a bit. On the contrary, with comings and goings from students, more informations about her came and almost all the boys went to look at her in her new class.

     Like usual, Donggeun, who was in grade 2, went into Ilhoon and Sungjae's classroom. Sitting on the empty chair before Ilhoon's desk, he told them that girl's name was Mina and was in his class.

     "The rumor aren't false, she's really pretty. She looks innocent but is actually pretty outgoing. She talked with all the boys who went to talk to her and put the rude ones in their place. It was like watching a queen?"

     "Let me guess: the girls don't like her." Sungjae asked.

     "You guessed it right," Donggeun chuckled.

     "You don't want to go and see her?" Sungjae asked to Ilhoon who was listening, his chin on his hand, without saying anything.

     "Not really."

     "Yeah, guessed so. You have other things to think about than girls and falling in love."

     That sentence made Ilhoon feel bad for hiding them important things like that, he wanted to say it wasn't true. They were his closest friends, they knew him more than anyone else and yet, he couldn't say anything to them. If he said he was in a relationship for months, they'd want to know with whom. Especially Sungjae who could be annoying and persistant when he had something in mind.

     He replied nothing.

     The first time he finally saw that girl was at lunchtime in the canteen. Even at a few meters away, her beauty was obvious. Everyone was looking at her, but it wasn't the only reason.

     Silence was established when she went to the boss and his friends' usual table and asked them if they could accept her in their group. All the students started to whisper, interested by the situation and its outcome. Finally, they accepted her pretty easily because of her audacious and fearless temperament, but the two girls of the group were the most enthusiast to have another one among them. Apparently, girls don't like being alone, they need to be in a flock.

     Since then, from her very first day, she was known as the Queen, able to tame anyone and everyone wondered when will be Hyunsik's turn.

 

 

     Despite the good weather, there was a storm brewing. It was like this for a few days already. A black cloud was following a single person.

     "What's up with you, again?"

     "Nothing!"

     Arms crossed and the face frowned, Ilhoon answered with irritation to his friend's question. The latter shrugged and sighed, he was too stubborn and short-tempered to continue to talk in this state so he started to talk about their homeworks for this day and the ones he had a hard time to do in order to change subject.

     Frustration was what was eating Ilhoon. He didn't intend to become possessive but what was happening made him like this.

     Ever since Mina's arrival, the pretty girl would stuck to Hyunsik everytime, going so far as to cross her arm to his. To Ilhoon's satisfaction, he would shake it off each time it happened but he couldn't help but feel pissed about it.

     There was one time he witnessed it at just two meters away from him when their paths crossed in the same corridor. He resisted the urge to go and pull off her arm and pull her hair. It was a primary reaction he hated and he hated her because it was his place, not hers. The look Hyunsik gave him, however, calmed his anger for a while. He didn't need words to understand that he was telling him not to worry about this.

     But these short encounters were the only moments they saw each others for days. It was the thing that annoyed him the most. There was always something coming up with the same group of delinquents from a nearby high school who kept them from meeting outside of school. Their only communication was through texts and calls, mostly from Hyunsik saying that he couldn't see him.

     He missed him, selfishly wanting Hyunsik to spend time with him only when he himself spent some of his days with his own friends. He missed him to the point he thought it'd kill him. He missed him like a spoilt kid who wanted to have everything right here, right now. He was at the age when he thought you have to always be with your love one, otherwise, love will cease.

     But the truth is, he was feeling uneasy. What was it like to go out when they almost couldn't see each other? Maybe Hyunsik wasn't trying to see him because he fell out of love with him. Or maybe, he never really was. Insecurities were growing like brambles.

     So, when he received a text when he was studying at the library saying that he'll pick him up at his house later, all the negativities suddenly calmed down. He finished his homework at light speed and hurried up to go back home to take a shower before Hyunsik's arrival.

     When he appeared at the entry's door in casual clothes, scratching the back of his head with a sorry smile, any frustration that could have remained totally disappeared. He found him cute. Seeing his face again without disturbance made him happy. But he didn't show it, he wanted to at least keep some composure.

     They went to the room with two cups of coffee placed on the bedside table, Hyunsik sitting on the bed so that he won't be in the way. It was still early and Ilhoon didn't finish to pack his things.

     "Where are you staying, tonight?"

     "At Sungjae's place. You know, the friend in my class?"

     "Hmm. You could have come to my home…"

     Ilhoon stopped in what he was doing and looked at him in astonishment. It was the first time he had something to say about him staying at his friend's. Deep inside, this made him happy. But that wouldn't make him change his plans.

     "If someone wasn't spending all his time after school to fight with some guys, we could have seen each other more often and plan something."

     He didn't intend to reproach him, but words went faster than his thoughts, he couldn't control it. In fact, he still didn't know the reasons that drove him to do that.

     "I'm sorry. That guy and his dogbodies keep messing around with us: they extort money and beat up our students, they damages our school: the graffitis on the outer walls aree from them. I can't let them do as they please."

     "Why?" Ilhoon asked while sitting down on the floor. He looked at him thoroughly enough for the first time since he was here, to see the outline of a bruise on his cheek. "Why do you need to do all this for students which you don't even know half of them?"

     "You promise you won't laugh?"

     "I won't."

     "When I entered the school in my freshman year, it was a real chaos. Inside or outside, everyone, boys and girls, was fighting for no real reasons: someone looking askance at somebody, an argument, a misunderstanding, so I decided to take it over." He paused, hesitant. "My parents met there and I didn't want this memory to be tarnished…"

     Ilhoon blinked, assimilating the confession that had just been made. It was such an innocent and cute motive for a rough looking person. He knew he wasn't as tough as he seemed to be but this was still unexpectedly funny, despite pressing his lips together, Ilhoon couldn't help but laugh.

     "You promised!"

     As a punishment, Hyunsik tickled the ribs and sensitive parts of the upper body of the youngest who now had a good reason to laugh. To prevent him from moving, he sat on his thighs, knees bent on eeach side of his hips. Ilhoon, out of breath, muttered an almost unintelligible "Sorry" that ended his torture.

     In front of those rosy cheeks and those eyes glittering with tears from laughter, Hyunsik froze, stared at him. It was the first time someone looked at Ilhoon like that, despite knowing his feelings since long time ago and maybe because it was what he needed at that time, he really felt loved. It was like if his heart was about to burst, his blood felt burning hot under his skin. A fire was devouring him. He sat up to be face to face with him, grabbed his neck, kissed him fervently. A coffee-flavored kiss, strong but addictive. He put his hands under Hyunsik's t-shirt, touching his hot and firm body, slowly removing the garment while moving his hands forward and pressing his leg against his crotch.

     He'll regret it later when he'll hear, when going out of the appartment, that this man, who was here earlier than expected, insult him with homophobic terms before backing off when Hyunsik will protect him and threaten the man. But at this moment, he only wanted to feel and love his boyfriend with all his might.

 

 

     Ilhoon was waiting for Hyunsik in front of the station. Because of the excitation, he arrived about half a hour early. He looked like a jolly fellow swaying back and forth on his feet, a blissfully happy smile, half hidden by his scarf. They never really had the chance to go on a date downtown, a dynamic place where, unlike their suburban area, they were not likely to bump into acquaintances among the tens of thousands who ventured there every day, so he was looking forward to it impatiently.

     However, the origin of the date wasn't as satisfying.

     The precedent Tuesday, Hyunsik planned to hang out with his friends for a while after school, so Ilhoon went to the school library as usual. When he saw them from the window far away at the school yard before they left, curiosity made him stand before it to observe them.

     The group was surrounding Hyunsik to listen to what he had to say. There was no inferiority feeling. More than giving the image of a leader and his subjects, they looked like a sage and his appreciators. There was some kind of adoration and trust coming from them, even from the most difficult ones who enjoy getting into a fight more than the others. They were all hanging on every words.

     Soon, everyone left but two people remained. Hyunsik and Mina. By the way the girl was simpering, Ilhoon guessed with disgust she wanted to confess. However, he didn't expect her to pull and kiss him. It was an unilateral act and Hyunsik brushed her off but it got on his nerves.

     As an apology for what happened, Hyunsik proposed later to a mad Ilhoon who waited for him in the cold, railing against them, to take a day off at the convenience store and go on a date on Saturday. A real date. Playing outside, eating, strolling around.

     11H20. There was ten minutes left before the scheduled time of the date, but Hyunsik arrived, looking around to see if Ilhoon was already here or not and the latter waved to him with a big smile when he saw him.

     "You're early."

     "You too. You're here for a long time?"

     "Not really."

     He only waited for about twenty minutes. For him who was used to go to school early every morning, it was nothing unbearable. He asked Hyunsik if he wanted to eat something now, he nodded. Walking their way to a near fast-food, they stayed anormaly quiet. Ilhoon took a look to people around them. The roads were so full of unknown faces. On a sunny – although a bit chilly, to llhoon's taste – Saturday like this, lots of young people were out with friends or with lovers. They were too.

     Sitting next to each others with strangers at the high table on stools because of the lack of empty space at peak time, they were eating without saying much. Ilhoon glanced at him from time to time. He was always surprised by how much he could eat on just one meal. And he was always eating with so much enthusiasm, it was quite pleasant to watch him.

     "What to you want to do after that?" Hyunsik asked after one last bite, waking up Ilhoon from his daydreaming.

     "Uh? Oh, shopping maybe? I need a new coat," he added after a little pause.

     "Anything you want," Hyunsik said with a big smile, like if he really wanted to please Ilhoon no matter what he would ask for.

     Ilhoon actually didn't ask for something too bothersome for him, he knew he liked going shopping as well, it was something they had on common. They were very different in lots of ways, but there were some things they both liked to do: movie, games, karaoke, although Ilhoon wasn't as good as Hyunsik and was rather shy to sing in front of him, and of course, shopping.

     They walked slowly around the streets, entered the first clothing store that attracted their attention. It was a cheap store set back from the high street in a small alley not big enough to welcome more than about fifteen customers. The smell of wood and dust filled the shop, giving an impression of antiquity and a pleasant atmosphere hard to describe.

     Without trying to look at other stores, Ilhoon bought a coat there. Not particularly pretty or original but enough to spend the winter warmly. Hyunsik found some things he liked, however no firm favorite, he prefered looking at other stores. And so, they spent most of the afternoon in clothing stores, looking at and trying clothes they wouldn't buy for most.

     "Here, try this. I think it'd look good on you."

     Hyunsik took and tried the garment that Ilhoon was handing him. The garnment was a V-neck t-shirt way bigger than his size, making him look more ridiculous than sexy. Ilhoon pressed his lips together to avoid laughing when he realized his mistake. That's how they ended up making the other try clothes that didn't fit them instead of really searching something they'd like.

     The rest of the day, they only looked around, one day wouldn't have been enough to check everything up anyway. Hyunsik looked at the synthesizers in an intrument store. Ilhoon bought a DVD they'd watch together another day. And they ate in a park the food they got on food stands, literally everywhere.

     "Let's go there before going back home."

     Hyunsik was pointing at an amusement arcade on the other side of the road. It was alsmot the closing time, only a few people were still playing, it was a calm place at this hour of the day. Ilhoon nodded enthusiastically and dragged him inside. They played for a while without paying attention to the hour to the dance machine, laboriously ; the shooting games, Ilhoon's win ; the driving simulator machine, they both won one race before Hyunsik took the final win. And other games, before the manager announced he'll close the store in five minutes and urging the customers to leave.

     His things collected, Hyunsik started to walk toward the exit before Ilhoon's hand catch his forearm. "One last thing," he said while taking him to the photo booth. He wanted to have a souvenir of this special day, their first real date. He had that idea on mind ever since they entered the arcade.

     He suggested the poses and Hyunsik played along. The timing between the pictures was too short to discuss it anyway. Using the peace sign, weird faces, acting like they were arguing, acting like they were making up, pull the other's cheek, etc. For the last one, he proposed a simple picture. Smiling only at the camera, they waited for the _click_. 3, 2, 1. At the very last moment, Ilhoon turned his face and Hyunsik's with his hands to kiss him.

     "Thank you for today," he added, proud of the surprised face. Now he had a visual proof Hyunsik was his. He went out to personalize the shots and print them before they head towards home late at night, but thankfully not too late since Ilhoon was working all day the next day.

     Hyunsik said he would practice his guitar and piano. He was spending more time on music since a few weeks. He was taking it more seriously and was hanging out less often with his band on weekends. He told Ilhoon when he asked about it that he was aiming for a musical carrier, maybe a musician or a music teacher, he didn't know yet.

     Even when he wasn't spending his Sundays to play the vigilante, Hyunsik still went to the convenience store to buy things to eat – even though he probably ate with his parents earlier – after hours of practice at home.

     It was late, the sky was pitch black with only a few stars, when he entered the convienence store. There weren't any other customers. Hyunsik waved to Ilhoon who replied with a smiley "Hey".

     He went around the store to pick his usual things and headed to the counter.

     "Not too hard to work all day when we came back late?"

     "Nah, it's fine. _I_ don't need lots of sleep."

     "Why do I feel it was aimed at me?"

     "Maybe because that's the case?" Ilhoon laughed. "Here, your change."

     Hyunsik opened his right hand to receive the pieces and counted them vaguely.

     "Something's missing," he said.

     "Eh!? Really?"

     Ilhoon was sorry, it was rare for him to make a mistake. He lowered his head and counted the coins in Hyunsik's hand with the index finger of his left hand. The older leaned forward, grabbed the collar of the jacket of Ilhoon's work uniform and planted a kiss on his lips.

     "Pay back for yesterday."

     He was smiling playfully. Regaining his composure, Ilhoon broke into a fit of the giggles.

     "What if the CCTV filmed us?"

     "So what? They're not going to watch it unless there is a theft."

     He kissed him once more, and Ilhoon replied to it, enjoying the lack of customers and taking courage from it for the rest of his shift. Hyunsik was the first to break it. He looked sideway at the window. His face suddenly became serious, which Ilhoon wasn't used to see when they were just the two of them. Without any explanation, Hyunsik told him that he has to go and to watch out when he'll finish work. Then he left. Ilhoon had a bad feeling as he saw his boyfriend disappear into the darkness of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the second chapter! I was supposed to post it in April instead of _Punishment_ but I started writing many different things and lost motivation for this one, sorry...  
>  At the end, I'm not that satisfied with this chapter, I find Ilhoon annoying, too jealous lol Hope it'll be ok with you


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